How to Clean Brass Hardware

shiny brass doorknob with concentric circles
  • 1 hours
  • Beginner
  • 0-25
What You'll Need
Bar Keeper's Friend
Salt
Baking soda
Toothbrush
Rag
Vinegar
What You'll Need
Bar Keeper's Friend
Salt
Baking soda
Toothbrush
Rag
Vinegar

The natural aging process of brass is beautiful, and many people admire the patina effect it develops over time, but that doesn't mean that you don't need to care for this timeless design element.

Not cleaning your brass hardware doesn't make it patina faster, it just leaves your fixtures prone to wear beyond the normal aging process. So how do you clean brass hardware? It's pretty easy, happily.

Cleaning Brass Hardware

To clean brass hardware, you have a few options. Start by mixing half a cup of baking soda with a cup of vinegar. This solution is great for cleaning and shining brass hardware.

Mix the solution, let it sit for about a minute, and then use a rag or a toothbrush to clean the brass in small circular motions. If your brass is looking particularly rough, you can add a tablespoon of salt to your mixture. Be gentle as you apply the salted mixture to your brass.

The salt will work to remove rust and restore the hardware, but it can be abrasive, so be careful as you apply the mixture and massage it into the hardware.

You can also juice half a lemon with a few teaspoons of baking soda to create a great cleaning paste. This natural cleaner is a good way to clean up very tarnished brass.

Because of the chemical makeup in this solution, don't let it sit on your brass hardware for longer than twenty to thirty minutes. Any longer and your brass may end up dull and damaged.

Cleaners

sodium carbonate power in a spoon

If you don't want to make your own brass cleaning solution, you can use a store-bought cleaner to shine and clean your brass. Bar Keepers Friend is a popular household cleaner that, among being used on other surfaces, can be used to clean brass.

This cleaner is strong, so make sure that you wear cleaning gloves while you use the cleaner. Follow the instructions on the back of the bottle to clean your brass. This cleaner comes in both powdered and liquid form, so the instructions vary.

Once you've used the cleaner, make sure to remove the remaining chemicals from your brass fixtures. This cleaner is very inexpensive, so if you've got a lot of brass to clean, this is a great way to go.

You can also use a cleaner called, The Pink Stuff to clean your brass. The Pink Stuff can be purchased online and is hailed as a wonder cleaner. Shining and cleaning brass with this cleaner is easy. Use a dry rag and work the paste on the brass in a circular motion.

Test the cleaner out in a small spot first, just to be safe. If the cleaner works well on your brass, you can clean the entire piece.

Shining Brass

gloved hand polishing brass door handle

Once your brass has been cleaned, it's time to shine it up. One easy way is to use a brass shining cloth. These cloths can be purchased online or at local hardware stores and are specially formulated to leave your brass smooth and shiny.

If you are looking for a DIY brass shiner, try dissolving a tablespoon of salt into about half a cup of white vinegar. Once the salt has been dissolved, slowly add flour to the mixture until it turns into a thick paste.

Coat your brass in the paste and let it sit for about seven minutes before removing it with a dry cloth. This mixture should leave your brass nice and shiny.

Now that your brass is all cleaned and polished, it's time to tackle the rest of the house. Learn how to perfectly clean your kitchen cooktop or add a shine to your kitchen floors that rival the sheen on your newly cleaned brass.